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MMO Timeline

The MMO Timeline is a quick reference sheet for the notable MMOs of our era — when they launched, when they released expansion packs, and when (if) they closed. If I’m missing a title or expansion you feel should be included on this list, please leave a comment below (with the date of the month/year they were released).

Notes:

Expansions are in regular font

Launches are in black bold

Closings in red bold

Relaunches, major shifts in format or changes to its business model are in blue bold

This list does not include updates, patches or other non-expansion-level additions. I’m also not including every piddly MMO on the planet.

Released in March 2006 after a lengthy beta starting in 2004; in November 2007, publisher Ojom withdrew support for the game. Duplex Systems shut down the game’s servers in order to restructure it and relaunch as Face of Mankind: Rebirth.On June 30, 2008 Duplex Systems announced the cancellation of Face of Mankind: Rebirth, citing financial problems. On 8 October 2008, Duplex Systems announced via the face of mankind website that the game would be “coming back soon”.On 1 December 2008, this was confirmed with an official announcement by Duplex Systems and Nexeon Technologies.

What about old Text Adventure games produced by Simutronics? Gemstone II (turned Gemstone III turned Gemstone IV) comes to mind. Back in the early 90s, that was an MMO for me — upwards of 25000 people simultaneously connected, if I recall correctly.

I remember hearing about Horizons: Empires of Istaria when I was playing AC1 and it was in beta for a couple years. There was major scandals about developer money but I can’t find the links to it anymore.

and something should be said to the fact that all of the early ones were graphic MUD not MMO’s that term came later with EQ maybe. I’ve still got the beta cd around here somewhere… but more is the point that with out adventure (Zork rip off) things would have been different how much who knows but even as M59 the realms came otu there were still MUDs that had more players at the time.

Not sure how fine you want to split hairs, but as I understand it The Realm Online didn’t launch (as most of us would define it) in 1995, rather it entered a public alpha. Raph’s MUD Timeline has The Realm Online entering Beta in 1996, but doesn’t include the month as you’ve done for your entries.

It depends on what you mean by “launches”, I guess. But, Meridian 59 is recognized as being the first game to launch via retail, for all that’s worth.

Yet another update: in the first quarter of 2011, Champions Online will become a free-to-play/subscription hybrid a la the Atari/Turbine fantasy MMOs. Also, DC Universe Online will launch in March of 2011.

According to 1up it launched in 1985. Technically, I think it’s the first graphical MMO. I didn’t even have a modem back then, so I can’t confirm. However, back in 1991 some amazingly prescient insights into modern MMOs were published, it’s the second article I originally linked. A TLDR summary of what stuck out to me can be found here: [http://yfernbottom.blogspot.com/2009/12/habitat.html]

It’s one of my least popular posts, even considering hardly anyone was reading my blog back then. Despite my promise, I actually never did get around to tracking down the book cited in the articles. Salt grains may be needed.

SWG: An Empire Divided came a year before Jump To Light Speed . Regardless of personal opinion, this was definitely NOT a piddley MMO. It opened 26 June 2003 and was followed by Jump to Light Speed in Oct 2004, Rage of the Wookies in May 2005, and Trials of Obi-Wan Nov 2005.December 15th 2011 was the final run of their servers.